Donald Morrison – författare

For a long time, France and its culture have been one and the same. The greatness of the former added to the influence of the latter, and vice versa. French writers, artists and philosophers were at the centre of the world’s attention and enjoyed unparalleled prestige. Of this past glory, all that is left today is navel-gazing, nostalgia, and timidity. This was the disabused verdict reached by Donald Morrison, an American in Paris, at the conclusion his inquiry into the place of French culture in the world. The creativity of its artists may be undeniable, but the influence (ghostlike) and the importance (derisory) of France in cultural exchanges both go to show that French culture no longer speaks to the world. This decline ultimately suits the French national mentality, inclined as it is to lamentation and sorrow. When Morrison originally published this piercing verdict on contemporary French culture in Time magazine in November 2007, it caused a sensation. Morrison was pilloried by the French press and attacked in countless newspapers, magazines and blogs. Morrison’s article gave rise to an extended interrogation of French culture by admirers and critics alike. Undeterred by the controversy, Morrison has returned to his original article to see how well his central arguments hold up in the light of the criticisms levelled at him. This new and updated version of his controversial text is accompanied by a thoughtful reply by Antoine Compagnon, who highlights a certain ambivalence within French culture, still capable of achieving the best but seemingly paralysed by its preoccupation with its own grandeur. This important exchange between Morrison and Compagnon will be of great interest to anyone concerned with French culture and its legacy in the world today.

For a long time, France and its culture have been one and the same. The greatness of the former added to the influence of the latter, and vice versa. French writers, artists and philosophers were at the centre of the world’s attention and enjoyed unparalleled prestige. Of this past glory, all that is left today is navel-gazing, nostalgia, and timidity. This was the disabused verdict reached by Donald Morrison, an American in Paris, at the conclusion his inquiry into the place of French culture in the world. The creativity of its artists may be undeniable, but the influence (ghostlike) and the importance (derisory) of France in cultural exchanges both go to show that French culture no longer speaks to the world. This decline ultimately suits the French national mentality, inclined as it is to lamentation and sorrow. When Morrison originally published this piercing verdict on contemporary French culture in Time magazine in November 2007, it caused a sensation. Morrison was pilloried by the French press and attacked in countless newspapers, magazines and blogs. Morrison’s article gave rise to an extended interrogation of French culture by admirers and critics alike. Undeterred by the controversy, Morrison has returned to his original article to see how well his central arguments hold up in the light of the criticisms levelled at him. This new and updated version of his controversial text is accompanied by a thoughtful reply by Antoine Compagnon, who highlights a certain ambivalence within French culture, still capable of achieving the best but seemingly paralysed by its preoccupation with its own grandeur. This important exchange between Morrison and Compagnon will be of great interest to anyone concerned with French culture and its legacy in the world today.

Plato and Xenophon are the two students of Socrates whose works have come down to us in their entirety. Their works have been studied by countless scholars over the generations; but rarely have they been brought into direct contact, outside of their use in relation to the Socratic problem. This volume changes that, by offering a collection of articles containing comparative analyses of almost the entire range of Plato's and Xenophon's writings, approaching them from literary, philosophical and historical perspectives.

Andre "Mac Dre" Hicks always found a way to tell his story. He was one of the first rappers to record songs through a prison phone in the early ''90s (much to the dismay of his jailors). His untimely death in 2004 left a wound in the Bay Area hip-hop scene that''s never quite healed. This is the complete story of how Mac Dre became one of the most important rap stars on the West Coast, told through the eyes and voices of those who witnessed his meteoric rise from the streets of Vallejo all the way to regional rap stardom. Exclusive interviews with his mother, Mac Wanda, illuminate a rich family history going back to the Deep South at the turn of the 20th century. We hear from close confidant Kilo Curt, who was among those arrested with Mac Dre for attempted bank robbery and spent time with him in FCI Lompoc afterward. Numerous close collaborators share their memories of the rise of Hyphy music in the Bay Area and help contextualize Mac Dre''s role in the subgenre, which would eventually influence artists like Drake and capture the ears of the nation. The story of Mac Dre is the story of rap in America, from the authorities'' attempts to block his success to his tragic, unsolved death in Kansas City. It''s an arc that''s followed by many of the genre''s greatest artists, from Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls to more recent stars Drakeo The Ruler and Pop Smoke. The story of Mac Dre is the story of a rapper who lifted an entire community through artistic determination and refusing to bow to the oppressive forces seeking to silence those around him.